“But as far as Barcelona, we want him, and we need him. Because if we want to win, we need the best players possible.”

With PSG offering Neymar €30 million per year after taxes, Barcelona players have taken it upon themselves to convince Neymar to stay.

“Yes,” midfielder Ivan Rakitic told reporters at Barry University in Miami on Thursday, when asked if he understood Neymar’s predicament. “It’s a really difficult decision and we all understand.

“We want him to stay and there’s not much more to say. We will understand [his decision] in any case. I hope he sees things the same way as us. He already knows our opinion. He’s an important part of the dressing room, one of the family and we all want him to stay.”

Asked if Neymar would be making a mistake swapping Barcelona for Paris, Rakitic added: “He knows better than anyone else [if it would be an error].

“Whatever he decides, we will respect it. As a friend and a teammate I would tell him to stay. He won’t have the affection he has here anywhere else. I hope he stays with us, but he has our support whatever happens.”